Pokemon: Masquerade
by GokuaVergil
Summary: Two teenagers set out on their Pokemon journey, meeting new friends along the way - but a new enemy lurks in the shadows, and it's none like the Pokemon World has ever seen before.
1. The First Step

Middleleaf Town, the town where new beginnings sprout. That's what Josh had been all of his life as a child, and he had only turned sixteen fairly recently.  
Josh had long black hair that traveled down to his collar, slightly overweight, but had been a normal build for his age.  
His feet had hung off the end of his bed, staring at his television screen from across the room, his hand smushed against his cheek. One of the programs were having a re-run, but it had always entertained him.  
"Every young boy must take on his own cross in his life! What's better than having a partner that'll help you achieve your dreams?" Josh smiled as it continued on, absolute absorbed into what this man was saying.  
Luckily, Josh was one of the three who were selected for starter Pokemon the following day. The program had showed the three starters, in this order:  
Froakie, the frog pokemon, also the water-type. It was cute if anything, and he heard good things about this little guy.  
Fennikin, the fenic fox pokemon, the fire-type. which is also cute. It stood on four legs, unlike Froakie, and was often picked first.  
Chespin, the grass-type, wasn't used much among the three starters. It seemed relatively weak, and it stood on two legs.  
Josh rolled over in his bed, and it seemed he would be unable to sleep this night. He never showed it much, but he was far too excited. He was thankful for his calm exterior.  
He heard something knocking on his window. Giving off a brief yawn, he made his way across the room, lifting up the window with tired eyes staring at what's ahead of him.  
"Oh, you couldn't sleep either, Danny?" He groaned a bit, stretching out as Danny nodded, his hat falling off of his head as he struggled to climb up the... ladder?  
Danny wore a bright green snapback cap, and had short black hair. He also had slightly darker skin than Josh.  
He brought a ladder. "G-goshdarnit!" Danny trembled a bit, the ladder rocking back and forth, only for Josh to quickly grab his hand.  
"You're such a damn clutz sometimes.." he sighed, pulling his friend into his window, only to fall back against his wall, "Gah!"  
Danny groaned, rubbing his head in slight pain as he looked up at Josh, the back of his head resting on his stomach.  
Without a word or a warning, Josh stood up which caused Danny's head to land on the floor with a "clunk".  
"Urgh... sorry, man.." Danny said, stretching as he stood up, a rather loud yawn exiting his lungs, "Can.. can I stay here tonight?"  
"But.. but..." He couldn't exactly say no to him. He had no way of getting out the front door, or his parents would hear him, "Fine. Sleep in the closet."  
Without question, Josh had opened the closet door. Thankfully, the bottom had been cleaned out, and two blankets had been resting there for quite some time. It was rather cramped though, and his feet would run up the wall.  
"At least it's clean," Danny said, shrugging as he carelessly stumbled into the closet, his back instantly aching as Josh closed the door. The light had been turned off right then, leaving Danny in the utter darkness of his closet.  
The following day, Josh had awoken with Danny sitting in front of his door, rocking back and forth. It was as if he was waiting all night for his friend to wake up, as if he had been traumatized through the waiting.  
"... Danny?" Josh asked, yawning a bit as Danny crawled over to the bed, his head peeking up onto the surface, his eyes staring up at Josh, rid of most energy.  
"Let'sgetgoinglet'sgetgoing," Danny practically chanted, tugging on the sleeve of Josh's shirt, who then sighed.  
"Give me time to change, man."  
Danny had left the room, leaving Josh to his own devices for a short time. He layed out his clothes, brushing his long-ish hair, a part of it hanging down his right eye, the back of it reaching down to his collar.  
He slipped on a black t-shirt, pulling on his blue jeans and slipping into a pair of white sneakers, slipping his backpack onto him as well. All set!  
He opened the door, looking both ways before spotting Danny sitting right by the stairs who had looked as ready as ever.  
"Who's that?" his mother called out from behind him, giving him a confused look, "Why is Danny here so early?"  
His heart sank. Oh lord.  
"Go, go, go!" Josh had yelled at Danny right away, pushing at his back before running down the stairs, running straight out the door without a proper goodbye.  
"Boys will be boys..." His mother said, giving the door a tired look, but smiled as well.  
Josh and Danny had stopped running once they got half-way through the trail, panting as they sat on the dusty ground. "Sorry, that was in the heat of the moment."  
"Haha," Danny chuckled just a tad, smiling as he looked at Josh, "It's cool, man. That woke me up."  
Josh slowly picked himself up from off the dirt road, patting his trousers to rid himself of the filth.  
Danny followed his lead, the dirt trail leaving them off at a gate, behind it being a rather large home - which also happened to be the Pokemon Lab.  
It towered over most of the neighboring trees, empty fields encompassing most of the area around it as well. "Here we are, finally..." Josh said, pushing the gates open.  
Danny's heart began to race as they came closer to the doors, his excitement possibly getting the best of him at the moment. "Sweet!" he grinned, knocking on the door.  
The door creaked open after the knob turned for what seemed like a terribly long time, a male stumbling out of the door, and nearly onto the ground if it weren't for the two, "Wh-whoa shi-"  
"Professor Maple?!"  
"Oh, uh, hey kids," he said, quickly stepping back into the entrance, dusting himself off to try and act professional, especially after his 'accident', "You must be the new trainers that were assigned?"  
"Mhm," Danny nodded, smiling up at the rather tall man as he tried to resist from peaking inside the lab. That would be rude of him.  
"Come inside, please," Professor Maple said, standing aside as the two stepped inside the room, a new atmosphere overtaking their senses, "Fennekin was taken by an earlier trainer, so all we have left are Froakie and Chespin."  
"Perfect, then," Josh said, walking over to the table the professor had set up, his eyes focused on the pokeball to the left, "Which one does that have?"  
"It's Froakie, the water type. It's a bit difficult to raise, but can prove to be a really powerful ally." Professor Maple said, stepping on over to Josh, "So, is this your choice?"  
"Yeah," Josh said, his lips curving into a smirk as he picked up the pokeball, "Well, sorry Danny, but you don't have much of a choice now."  
"That's just fine, I wanted Chespin in the first place," He said, placing his hand upon the pokeball.  
"Let your new partners out," the professor said, giving the two of them a bright smile, "You must be dying to meet them."  
The red light faded from the Froakie. Froakie is a frog-like pokemon, with two eyes that stick out. It has black irises with large yellow pupils. Its skin is bright blue, aisde from the blue stripe that runs down between its eyes, ending with two white balls. Around it neck is a cloud-like scarf, and its hands are colored white, with three fingers on each hand.  
Danny had studied his pokemon, smiling at what he had chosen. Chespin is a bipedal pokemon, with a rather rotund head. It has a green-like helmet surrounding its head, several green protrusions sticking out. It has three brown arrows coming from each side of the helmet, its skin being a light brown color. It has a tail sticking out, with a red tip. It has two dark brown arms, and two feet that have two large "claws".  
"I'll name him Pokey," Danny claimed, the white light emerging from the ball and engulfing his newly-found Chespin, the same to Josh's new partner.  
Josh gave a happy sigh, placing the pokeball in his duffel bag that hung around his shoulder. Danny hung his on his belt, watching the professor approach the two.  
"Here you go, you two, five pokeballs for the both of you," he said, handing them both the capturing devices, then handing them two red rectangular devices, the tops of the devices sliding off, revealing a screen, "This is a Pokedex, it can record every Pokemon you see and capture. It isn't very necessary, but hey, everyone else gives them out."  
"Thank you so much, Professor Maple," Danny said, giving him a respectful bow as he began to walk towards the door.  
Josh merely smiled at him, nodding at the professor as he carried on, the professor yelling at the two to be careful.  
And so began their journey.


	2. Wanderers

Night had befallen the two not too long after, the cold slowly creeping up on them as they huddled around a small fire they had managed to put together, "I kinda wish Fennekin was there, now..." Josh mumbled.

"Don't say that! That's mean..." Danny said, a bit of a whine to his voice as he stared off into the woods, the fire's crackling filling his ears, accompanied by the sound of wild Pokemon.

"Say, Danny," Josh said, "What's your goal? For this journey, I mean. You know I'm taking the Gym challenge, so what about you?"

"I'm glad you asked," Danny replied, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to gather warmth, "Have you heard of the Pokelympics?"

Josh shook his head, "Not really, no. Explain?" He wrapped his arms around his knees, yawning briefly as Danny stood up.  
"You see, the Pokelympics take place in four different areas in the Kirei region. In each area, depending on your abilities as a pokemon trainer or with your Pokemon, you go through certain tests - you can have four gold medals to pass, two silver, two gold, but none can be bronze. Tests include things like, erm, flying, swimming," Danny said, quickly catching a breath, plummeting back down next to Josh.

Josh rubbed the back of his head, "That sounds like a pretty tough challenge. Well, I'll be following you wherever you go."  
The bushes rustled.

"Gee, thanks ma-"

"What was that?" Josh asked, interrupting his friend as he looked both ways, his eyes studying every crevice and corner.

Tiny feet pattered around the two, going around the fire as Josh caught a glimpse of its yellow tail bobbing up and down, snatching one of their bags, its head buried deep in it.

The tiny yellow rat's head poked up, its black beady eyes staring up at Josh and Danny cutely, its black-pointed yellow ears twitching a bit. "Pika?"

"I don't need a pokedex to know what that is," Josh grinned, looking at the Pikachu from across the fire, "Have a thing for stealing stuff, huh?"

He stood up, the grin glued to his face with each passing second, its ears twitchig constantly as he picked a pokeball from his bag.

A different pokeball was flung towards the yellow rodent, only for it to bat it away with its tail, "You're mine!"  
Josh looked a bit further from the fire, a boy with short black hair staring at the pokemon, his Fennikin standing by his leg.  
"What the hell? That Pikachu is mine!" Josh had yelled at him, only for the trainer to march over to him, a frustrated look on his face.

He scowled as he approached Josh, mere centimeters from each other as he took a deep breath, "It's wild. Besides, I found it first, loser!"

Josh shoved at the boy, his pokeball still in hand as the rodent looked back and forth between the two, "Pika?"

"Stay out of this!" The boy screamed at the poor thing, its ears drooping as it wagged its tail before running off into the nearby woods.  
Before anything could be said, Josh shoved the trainer aside and chased after the rodent, Danny following close behind.

"Come on, Fennikin!" The trainer called his Pokemon, its tiny feet clinging to his shoulder as he charged right behind the two.

Josh sprinted, though something had kept him from going any further, something bouncing against his skin.

The web extended across dozens of the trees, "Danny, stop running!" Josh had yelled at him, but to no avail - his friend fell into the web as well.

He could hear the patter of legs move from the trees, his eyes looking up to spot a spider-like Pokemon.

The trainer wasn't too far from the trees, withdrawing his pokedex and holding it up infront of the pokemon.  
_Galvantula, the tarantula Pokemon. When attacked, they create an electric barrier by spitting out many electrically charged threads._

"Hey! Are you gonna help us? Please!" Danny had pleaded at the boy, spotting him as he set his device down.

"Guess I have no choice," He said, smirking as he sighed. A part of him doubted he could take down such a beast, "Fennikin, show them just what you can do with me!"  
Fennikin nodded, jumping from his partner's shoulder and spitting out several small fireballs, the embers shooting towards the critter.

Galvantula's spitters had shot out string, connecting it at a very high speed, sparks coursing through the entirety of the web, though the embers were weakened, they managed to break through.

Expecting it to cry out in pain, Joey was throughly disappointed, the embers only giving it small burns on top of its forehead. It shook its head, "Galv..."

He could hear it mumble its name menacingly, "Fennikin, return!" He shouted, recalling his starter, "This may be a better idea.."

He picked out his second pokeball, tossing it and releasing his only other Pokemon. Its two green feet spread apart on the ground, its scythe like hands preparing for battle as it eyes squinted, "Scythah!"

"Quick attack!" He commanded his faithful pokemon, it picked itself off from the ground and sped towards the spider pokemon, slicing through the web with ease.

Scyther slammed its side into the Galvantula, though to no avail. The enemy simply shrugged off the attack, a ball forming in front of its face, its fur standing up from the electrical current.

"Scyther, try to dodge it!" Scyther nodded, jumping away from his opponent at a rapid rate, the ball being fired towards the insect.

"Scyth!" It cried out, crossing its scythe-like appendages in an attempt to defend itself. A sharp cry of pain left its mouth, the ball moving against its abdomen, causing electrical currents to course through its body.

"SCYTHER! Are you okay?" He rushed over to his Pokemon, but it tried to keep him back, holding out its scythes, "Scyther..."

Galvantula's feet pattered against the ground, calling out as it began to look in both directions, "Gal! Galvan!"

"What's it doing?" Josh had wondered, a bit amazed at how that Scyther could endure an attack like that.

"I don't like the sound of this," Danny said, hearing the pattering of dozens of other feet.

"Joltik!" Voices cried out, and practically tinier versions of the Galvantula had approached the Scyther, each with a ball of electricity being charged up.

"We're done. There's no way we can win this." The trainer said, looking around with a hopeless look in his eyes. They would surely die here.

But, to his surprise, a pokemon dashed from above. Its wings smashed against the Joltik at a rapid speed, tossing them back at the mother.  
"Great job Noivern," a man had said, and the three had looked at who was in front of them, he stood there, in-between the Galvantula and the boy.

He said said, "You guys alright?"

He appeared to be from the north, dressed in an odd attire. That place was known for a violent tribe, but could this be one of them?

"Y-yeah.. thanks. Who are you?" Josh asked, the Noivern cutting the web apart with its wings, allowing Josh and Danny to both stretch in relief.

"My name is Samuel, who might you be?" He said, smiling as he looked at the trainer behind him, aiding to his Scyther.

"I'm Joey," the boy said.

"I'm Josh," Josh had informed him, "And this is Danny, my friend."

"I'd like to get to know you, but there are more important matters at hand," Samuel said, turning to the mother of the Joltik, "Galvantula never attack without reason. I don't think it's a matter of territory, as they're relatively peaceful.."

The Galvantula charged towards the man, only for his Noivern to stop it in his tracks with almost little-to-no effort.

"I really love Galvantula, but I can't let it hurt kids," He said, stepping forward, "Noivern, use air slash!"

Noivern nodded, his wings glowing as they pushed against the tarantula Pokemon, its wings digging into the skin a bit, pushing it into the neighboring tree.

The tree itself began to creak, becoming unstable as Noivern finally threw its enemy, the towering tree leaning now.

Galvantula shot a beam of charged electricity at Samuel's pokemon, "Hurricane, but keep it controlled!"

Noivern began to flap its wings back and forth, a wind stirring up as the three trainers clung to a nearby tree. The wind picked up outrageously, the leaning tree being rooted up, the Galvantula being tossed around in the air carelessly.

Samuel turned back to the group, the winds dying quickly as the pokemon was thrown out of sight. "Great job, Noivern," he said, returning it to its pokeball.

Josh turned his back, hearing a twig snap, "What was that?" he asked aloud, the Pikachu coming out from one of the trees, "There you are, you little-"

He began to sprint towards it, but the look on its face was that of sadness. A hand picked it up by its tail, dangling it carelessly. "Well well, what do we have here?"

"What are you doing to that poor pokemon?!" Danny asked demandingly, studying the man's... odd uniform.

He was wearing a tuxedo and black dress pants, with black dress shoes to match. He wore black gloves, and an odd mask on his face. It had two large eye holes, and it guarded his nose and most of his features above his chin. "Nothing at all. Though, I am a bit appalled - you put an end to my fun!"

"Fun?" Joey wondered, "Wait, do you mean the whole deal with the Galvantula?" he asked, clenching his fists.

"Of course, boy," the man said, "Testing Pokemon out for M'lady. There's no other way to do it."

"You're testing Pokemon by attacking people? But it has no trainer! What could you have possibly done to make it help YOU?" Joey demanded to know, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"I didn't do anything. And besides, why would I tell you? You're just a couple of brats - but don't think for a second that you're getting off scott free!" The man smiled a bit too confidently, drawing out his pokeball, "Go, Houndour!"

Houndour's skin is mostly a black color, aside from its jaw and underbelly, which are an orange color. It stands on four legs, which have four white 'rings' wrapped around them. It has rib-like ridges laying on its back, a simple skull between its eyes.

Josh had withdrawn his pokedex from his bag quickly, holding up to the Houndoom from afar.

_Houndour, the hellhound Pokemon. Around dawn, its ominous howl echoes through the area to announce that this is its territory._

"I got this," Josh said, tossing out his pokeball and releasing his starter, Froakie, "Froakie, this is our first battle! We can beat this scumbag!"

"Are you really just gonna let him fight that punk, Samuel?" Danny asked, his teeth clenched as he gave Samuel a look, as if he was crazy.

"Let him do his thing. I believe he knows what he's doing." Samuel said, crossing his arms and grinning.

"A child is going to fight me? This isn't even going to be a challenge," he smirked devilishly, pointing his gloved finger at the Froakie, "Use bite and tear that kid to shreds!"

Houndour's teeth were now showing, and they were almost razor sharp. Its maw opened, revealing the full set as it jumped at Froakie, "Use bubble!"

"Froak!" Froakie jumped away from Houndour, allowing it to impact into the ground, making it confused for a short time. It looked both ways, unexpected of the move. Froakie hung its head back for a moment, before it spat out bubbles at a rapid rate, the liquid popping against the Houndour's skin.

Houndour whined, but not before it growled. "Not out yet.. this is just the beginning, kiddie!" The man yelled, "Use ember!"  
"Are you stupid? Froakie is a water type!" Josh yelled, grinning as he moved back a few feet in preparation, "Froakie, bubble again! This time, take him out!"

Froakie nodded to his partner, his head being thrown back and spitting out the bubbles at a rapid rate once again. The embers were lost in the attack, the bubbles smacking against the Houndour's snout, causing it to shriek in pain.

Houndour ran back to its master, a slight limp from the pain it endured as it approached him. "What? How could you lose to a rookie?!"

"You obviously don't do enough training," Josh said, smirking confidently as the man trembled.

"... RETREAT!" He shouted, running from the Houndour which attempted to catch up with its master, the limp dragging it far behind.

The Pikachu had thankfully fallen from his grasp, its feet bringing it to Josh. "Oh, hey there, little guy." Josh bent down, the other three watching what he was doing.

"That was great for a first battle," Danny said, pride in his voice. Though Josh had the advantage, he was still only a rookie trainer.

Joey seemed relatively unimpressed, and Samuel only smiled as he watched Josh attempt to befriend the pokemon.

Pikachu bowed its head, maybe as a thank you, Josh had assumed. He placed his hand on its head, rubbing it affectionately, "How would you like to come with me?"

A hopeful look sprung up on the rodent's face, "Pika! Pikachu!" It cried out happily, crawling over to his bag and nudging one of his pokeballs.

"Heheh, alright, alright," Josh said, picking up the pokeball and tapping it on the mouse's forehead. It smiled before it vanished into the pokeball, "That was... exciting, to say the least!" he said, a smile on his face.

"Well, if you guys will excuse me," Joey said, looking over at Samuel, then Josh, "I'm going to be heading to Skyheart City. See you losers later."

As he walked away, Samuel approached Josh and put a hand on his shoulder delicately, "Your skills as a rookie are looking bright. I suggest you go to Skyheart as well. It holds the first gym. You may want to do some training first, though. Not all battles will be as easy."

"Right." Josh said, nodding with a smile.

And so, they said their goodbyes to their saviour that night.  
Next stop was Skyheart City.


	3. Head Over Heels

The sun was shining above the two young teenagers, the open field accompanying the dirt road they had been walking along.

Danny flipped through the pages of his guidebook, before stopping, "Ah!" He exclaimed, excitedly, "We don't appear to be that far from Skyheart City!"

Josh yawned, his bored eyes taking a look at Danny, "You sure about that? We've been on this road all damn day," his frustration got the better of his tone.

A loud cry could be heard in the distance, Josh's bored eyes suddenly widening as he quickly took a look at what was ahead.

On closer inspection, he could see three teenagers... two boys, and one girl, surrounding another girl.

One of the boys had been wearing a hat turned backwards, along with a pair of shorts that went up to his knees, and a grey tanktop.

The other boy wore a pair of blue jeans, which had been sagging just a bit, which was rather unpleasant.. he had also been wearing a red t-shirt, along with having short brown hair.

Finally, the girl wore a fairly short skirt, accompanied by a pair of fairly large boots, which seemed pretty strange. "That style doesn't fit at all," Josh said, noticing she had also had long, curly blonde hair.

"That isn't the point, Josh! We have to go help that girl!" Danny said, gritting his teeth and charging ahead.

"Hey, wait!" Josh called after him, chasing after the eager boy.

Danny plucked his pokeball off from his belt, tossing it and letting Chespin loose from his resting place.

"The hell is that guy doing?" One of the boys had asked, looking clueless, watching the Chespin charge ahead.

"Pokey, use vine whip!" Danny shouted, malice hinted in his voice as a whip extending from Chespin's tail and narrowly smacking the clueless boy in the face.

"Hey, watch your little monster!" The girl yelled, irritated as she plucked a pokeball from her necklace, "Go, Ralts!"

Ralts has green hair, shaped like a bowlcut with two flat horns sticking from each opposite side. Ralts has white skin, its feet are shown as if it's wearing an over-sized dress. Its hands have no fingers whatsoever, and has two red eyes under its hair.

"Confusion on that little freak!" She commanded, a hand being placed on her hip as she pointed at the enemy.

Ralts had a blue glow creep out from under its green bowl cut, a blue outline surrounding Chespin. "Pokey?!" Danny clenched his fists, "Snap out of it!" He yelled worriedly.

"It's not your worthless pokemon, boy," the girl said, having a devious look in her eyes as she stared right into Danny's, "Ralts is simply going to beat him with no mercy."

"What was that?!" All of their heads turned, seeing an old man approach the scene with a wolf-like pokemon by his side.

"Is that who I think it is?" The girl gritted her teeth, backing up as she got a good look at the beastly pokemon.

"Grandpa! Arcanine!" The victim cheered, running over to her grandpa to hide behind him, her hands clinging to his shirt.

"Thank God," Danny grinned, holding his Chespin in his arms, "You have a good rest." He pressed the button, sucking Pokey back into his resting place.

The massive beast growled at the menacing girl, its sharp teeth being shown as it attempted to approach her. "Put your mutt down, old man."

"I advise you to abstain from insulting my dear Arcanine. It isn't exactly... friendly," he took a short breath, his face having a rather stern expression, "Go away, you pests. If I catch you hurting my little princess again, I'll show your Pokemon no mercy."

"Y-yeah," one of the boys stuttered, "What he said! Let's get outta here!" He stumbled as he tried to run away, crawling away as the other boy followed.

"This isn't the last you'll see of me," she muttered under her breath, sprinting off with her two cohorts.

"Thank you so much," Danny said, standing up now as he hooked the pokeball onto his belt, bowing to the older man.

Josh ran up alongside Danny, panting, "Is everything alright? I didn't know what to do," he said, looking at the girl who was now standing at her grandpa's side.

She walked up to Danny, bowing her head gratefully, "Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, my grandpa wouldn't have noticed! My name is Denise."

"Oh, it's no trouble..." Danny said, smiling a tad as he scratched the back of his neck, a red tint to his cheeks, "I'm Danny. Nice to meet you, and this is Josh."

Josh nodded, looking at the man now, "How can we thank you, Mister...?"

"Oh, no need for you to thank me. If anything, I should be thanking you!" He exclaimed, a smile plastered onto his face, "And my name is Michael."

"Nice to meet you," Danny said, raising an eyebrow as he noticed hat Denise had begun to walk further out, "Hm? What're you doing?"

"One of those boys dropped something," Denise bent over, the card sliding in-between two of her fingers, "O-oh, it's his trainer card!"

"Hand that to me, Denise," Michael bit his lip in concern, taking the card into his own hands, "This is his personal information. I need to turn this into the police."

"But, didn't you see what he did to your granddaugther?" Josh asked, confused as to why he would even bother helping them out.

"We think far too differently, son," Michael said, nodding to himself, "It's important to do the right thing, and not to stoop so low as to rob him of his license."

Josh rolled his eyes, "Whatever..."

"Show Danny and Josh to our home, would you, Denise? I'll be back after I report this to the Skyheart City police station," Michael slipped the trainer card into his pocket, "Can you do that for me?"

"Of course, grandpa!" Denise said eagerly, a smile on her face, "Stay safe!"

"Will do," Michael said, chuckling just a tad, "C'mon Arcanine."

Arcanine nodded, following along with his partner closely.

Denise motioned for the two to follow her along the dirt road, "It's not too long of a walk! You thirsty or hungry, Danny?" she asked.

"Oh, uh..." Danny stuttered a bit, confused, "Not really, how about you, Josh?"

"Now that you mention it, I am a little-"

"Oh, never mind." Denise gave Danny a grin, eventually coming upon a house made entirely of wood, "Here we are!"  
The area around it was purely all a grassland, a pokemon laying down at the steps, "What's that?" Danny asked, pulling out his pokedex.

_Skitty, the Kitten Pokemon. It shows its cute side by chasing its own tail until it gets dizzy._

Skitty fur is that of a pink color, with the inside of its ears being purple, and three pins sticking out of its tail. Its tiny mouth opened up to yawn, its ears twitching as its slanted eyes looking at the two strangers, "Skit?"

"Oh, this is my darling Skitty!" Denise smiled, her Skitty jumping up into her arms, nuzzling her neck, "I've had her since she was an egg!"

"Really? That's so sweet!" Danny said cheerfully, looking at the kitten Pokemon and waving, much to its pleasure.

"Skitty!" It jumped into Danny's arms right then, nuzzling up against him.

"Heheh, cut it out!" Danny giggled, the Skitty nuzzling his neck playfully as it pawed at his chest.

Denise was slightly flustered, hiding it well, "I'm glad she's taken a liking to you!"

Danny nodded, the smile on his face sticking like glue as the Skitty hopped back to her owner's arms, "Well, let's go in,"

"Finally," Josh mumbled, rolling his eyes as he followed behind the two, looking around the house, "Wow, who keeps this place up and running?"

The floors were made entirely of wood, as anyone would have guessed - but it was completely spotless. Not a speck of dirt to be found.

"My grandpa," Denise said, "Duh. This place isn't that large, so it's very easy to take care of." She turned to Danny, "Let me show you to your room!"

"Oh, wait, room? What now?"

"Aw, come on! Spend the night! It's the least I can do for you... two." She hesitantly said, her eyes focusing on Danny alone.  
"Yeah, man! Thanks a lot," Josh said, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder, resulting in a threatening glare, "... What was that?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Denise said, turning her back on the two and walking down the hallway, expecting the two to follow.

They stopped at the room at the end of the hall, unlocking it for the two, "Here it is."

Inside was a set of two beds, accompanied by a moderately sized closet, "This is pretty nice for a guest room," Josh said.

"Yeah, I'll say," Danny said, shooting a smile at Denise.

Denise's cheeks burned intensely yet again, "Th-thank you so very much! It means a lot," She smiled in return.

"Oh, Denise," Josh said, much to the girl's displeasure, "Mind if Danny and I have a private talk?"

She gritted her teeth, "Sure..." she said, closing the door behind her slowly.

They waited until her footsteps had faded into the distance, allowing Josh to speak. "Do you not... notice something weird going on?"

"... Like what?" Danny sat back onto one of the beds, looking up at Josh.

"You're joking, right?" Josh asked, trying his best to laugh it off, "Right? Right?!" His expression turned from a smile, to a look of insanity.

"Whoa, calm down!" Danny backed up just a little, "Just.. slow down, okay, man?"

"Sorry," Josh sighed, "It's just... she's awfully hostile toward me, but to you she's so kind. Think about it."

Danny pondered this for a moment, looking up at the ceiling, "I don't get it."

"You're so damn dense - damn it, man!" Josh stomped his way over to Danny, placing his hands on his shoulders and shaking him violently, "She's... in love with you because you saved her, and I didn't do jack. She's obsessing. This girl is not right in the head."

"Pfft," Danny grinned, "You're overreacting! She's probably just not having a good day!"

"You're an idiot," Josh said, shaking his head as he sighed, "Whatever, man. Nice knowin' ya-"

A knock came to the door, causing Josh to instantly flip out, falling right onto the bed as he gasped, "Wh-who is it?!"

"Oh, did I startle you?" It was Michael, thankfully. A laugh was heard from the other side of the door, "Denise wants to give you a gift, Danny."

"Oh? Really? That's too kind of her," Danny said, grinning as he opened the door.

"Maybe it's a loaded gun..." Josh mumbled, getting a small glare from Danny as he left the room.

Michael brought Danny to the family room, with Denise standing right in the middle of the carpet, "What is it, Denise?" Danny smiled at her.

The red shades burned into Denise's cheek, "I want you to have this. I never raised him, but I believe you may do some good for him," she handed him a pokeball, "Go ahead and see."

Danny gave her a surprised look, his eyebrows raised, "Wow, this is such a surprise! Alright!" He pressed the button, allowing the Pokemon to take form.

_Pidgey, the Avian Pokemon. It is docile and prefers to avoid conflict. If disturbed, however, it can ferociously strike back._

Pidgey has a rather plump body, a portion of the top part of its wings are brown, along with the back of its neck and its tail feathers. The rest of the body is a lighter color, with black markings around its eyes. Its beak is a pinkish colors, along with its feet.

"Thanks so much," he returned the pigeon back to its resting place, "I'll call her Patience."

"No problem," Denise said, stepping over to him suddenly, pressing her arm up against his, "It's a little thank you."

Josh walked into the room, his eyes narrowing to the windows. "It got dark really quicky," he spoke in a yawn.

Much to Denise's displeasure, Danny turned away from her, "Oh, yeah... I am feeling pretty tired," he said, "Oh, thanks so much, Denise. I appreciate this so much!" He seemed so ecstatic.

"It's no problem, like I said Danny," she tilted her head, a bright smile on her face, "Go get some rest."

"Will do," he nodded, "See ya tomorrow."

Danny and Josh made their way back into the guest room, Josh walking more quickly than he had previously.

He shut the door as soon as Danny walked in, "I don't trust her. She even gave you a Pokemon..."

"And I'm thankful," Danny frowned, "I don't know why you think she's so crazy, dude."

"Just, just... we're leaving tomorrow, and we'll never see her again after that. Let's just sleep..." Josh said, sounding as if he was doing this for his own well-being, rather than his friend's.

"Sure," Danny said, slightly upset as he crawled into one of the beds, turning over to the wall, "Night, Josh."

"Night man."

Soon enough, the two had fallen into a rather deep sleep. Danny tossed and turned in his sleep, while Josh was simply buried under his covers.

The door began to creak open, a sliver of light creeping its way onto the bedroom floor. A set of eyes focused on Danny.

"Mine forever," she whispered, giggling.

"Wow, you really are insane."

Denise's eyes began to widen, noticing that Josh had gotten out of bed. He looked down at her in the darkness, "You looking for a fight?"

She instantly began to crawl away on her knees, Josh looking at her as if she were a dog. "... So much for sleep."

The morning came soon enough, allowing Josh to wake up Danny at a rather early hour. "Danny, it's eight in the morning. Time to leave. Now."

"Joooooosh... one or two more hours..." his friend whined, shaking his head and pressing it into his pillow.

"No, we're going now!" Josh demanded, pulling Danny out from the bed.

"Ugh, fine..." Danny sighed, slipping his belt on and attaching the second pokeball to it, which contained his Pidgey.

They eventually made their way outside - but not before an ear piercing scream followed the two.

"DANNY! DANNY!" Her voice shrieked from the house, a blush on her face as she tackled the boy from behind.

"Ouch! Wh-what is it, Denise?" he asked, grabbing his back as he looked up at her from the ground.

"I have a demand," she bit her tongue for a bit, her heart beating wildly, "I want you to stay with m-"

"HELL NO!" Josh shouted, picking a pokeball off from his belt and approaching the girl, his fist clenched so tightly.

"You have no right to decide for him, you little prick!" Denise argued, looking back over at Danny, "Soooo... what do you say?~"

"I say no." Danny spoke with a dull tone, "Why would I? I have so much ahead of me with Josh. He's my best friend, Denise."

She was visibly shaking, tears literally falling onto her cheeks at his response, "You can't be serious," she whispered, taking a pokeball out from her pocket, "After all I've done for you?"

She threw her ball, the Skitty from the previous day standing its ground. "Skit, skit!" It cried aloud.

"Go, Pokey!" Danny called out his teammate, his Chespin readying for battle, "I don't want you to hurt her too bad, okay? Just keep her back!"

"Skitty, use tackle attack!" Skitty nodded, crying out as it lunged at Chespin, only for its tail to grow out, slapping the kitten pokemon in the abdomen.

"Skit!" It whined, falling to the ground on its side.

"Do you not train your Pokemon?! What kind of trainer are you?" Josh looked at her angrily, "And putting it out in battle? The hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm not a trainer! I have to bring my love back, shut up!" She cried out, tears falling onto the ground, "Skitty, get back up! NOW!"

Skitty struggled to get up from that one vine whip attack, leaving Danny to do nothing but return Chespin to its pokeball, "You're being cruel to your pokemon. I won't do this." He said, turning and walking away.

"N-no," Denise shouted at him, "Get back here, damn it!" She cried out in desperation, but to no avail.

As they traveled further down the dirt road, Josh looked over at Danny, "I'm proud of you. You knew when to stop, unlike her."

"It's nothing. Just being sensible," he began to smile, "Let's hurry and get to Skyheart, man."

"I hear ya." 


	4. Crush

The skyscrapers towered over the highrise apartment buildings that this city held, the blue sky covering the city like a blanket. "So this is how it earned its name," Danny said, gawking in admiration.

"It looks like it'll take a while to find the gym," Josh spoke dreadfully, sighing. It seemed like the sidewalk would stretch on for miles.

All the way on the other side of the bustling city, Joey had approached the gym doors, pushing his way inward. "Who might you be?"

A casual voice echoed out into the arena, the lights brightening up the nearly pitch black room. Bleachers were placed behind glass windows, the arena being sealed off from spectators.

Joey tapped his foot on the floor, feeling as if it were made of hard wood, "My name is Joey, and I'm here to challenge you to a battle."

"Nice to meet you, Joey," the man came out from the shadows, a friendly grin on his face, "My name is Guy!" He wore a pair of blue dress pants, a black dress shirt accompanying it as a darkened tie hung down his chest. His brown hair crept down to his neck, his brown eyes focusing on the challenger, "Let's get this over with quickly, I got an appointment at two thirty."

It's a normal-type gym. How typical to be named Guy. Joey thought, suddenly standing on guard. "What are the rules?"

"Two Pokemon each. No switching out, got it?" Guy asked, plucking a pokeball from his belt.

"Sounds perfectly fine to me," Joey said, a hint of determination in his voice as he copied Guy's action, "Go, Fennekin!"

Fennekin took its stance, seemingly ready for whatever came its way.

"Go, Zangoose!" Guy shouted, the light emitting from his pokeball forming into the creature.

"Zan, zan!" It cried out, monitoring its own claws as Joey pulled out his pokedex.

Zangoose, the mongoose pokemon. Its sharp claws are used to slice up foes.

"Short, simple, and to the point, eh?" Joey slipped his pokedex back into his pocket, trying to get a good look at the enemy.

Zangoose's fur is primairily white, although it has red scar-like markings across its abdomen, paws, and its eye to ear. Its eyes are a reddish color, and it has two large black claws on each paw.

"Zangoose, use slash, and make it snappy, a'ight?" Guy snapped his fingers, perfectly in sync as Zangoose slashed his claws together.

The mongoose leaped at Fennekin, its blades attempting to sink into it. Luckily, Fennekin managed to roll away on command, "Use ember! Keep your distance, okay?!"

Fire spat out from Fennekin's tiny mouth, the embers spreading across Zangoose's scarred chest.

Zangoose only shook its head, as if to tell them it was no use. "That makes no sense... I guess we have to hit it physically! Damn!" Joey cursed, clenching his fest, "Use tackle, but quickly now!"

Fennekin launched itself towards Zangoose, only for Guy to snap his fingers, "Crush claw!" He commanded.

Zangoose's two claws began to glow a blueish-white, sparks flying off them as it faces the fox pokemon head on. Its claws were brought down, slashing Fennekin across the back. "Fenn!" He cried out, skidding against the floor.

Fennekin's legs trembled as it pulled itself from up the floor, its eyes half-closed as it attempted to take a few steps, "F-fenne..."

"Fennekin, enough!" Joey called out to his companion, pulling out his pokeball and returning him his resting place.

"Are you giving up?" Guy glanced at Joey, who simply shook his head, "Then what are you waiting for, kid?"

"It's a thing called strategy," Joey mumbled to himself, throwing out his next companion, "Go, Scyther!"

Scyther's blade-like arms crossed over one another, its eyes peeking over at its opponent.

"You're just what I need, Scyther. You're my best physical attacker, so try to take that Zangoose out before it lands a crush claw! Got it?"

Scyther nodded, "Scytha!"

"You seem mighty confident, kid," Guy kept the same bored look on his face, feeling as if his expressions were going stale, "Sure hope it isn't as weak as your little fox!"

"Just shut your trap," Joey frowned, "You don't talk crap about my Pokemon, you hear? Scyther, use agility!"

Scyther quickly sped along the hardwood floor, its sprinting doubling in no time at all. "Use slash on the damn bug! Squash it!" Guy called out.

Zangoose's eyes focused in on the praying mantis, leaping at it from across the field, "Use quick attack, now!" Joey shouted.

Scyther ducked below the claws, managing to dodge the slash and slamming the left side of its body into the mongoose.

Zangoose safely landed on its two feet, its claws glowing the same blueish white as before, as if knowing what to do on instinct.

"Scyther, block it with X-Scissor!"

Scyther crossed its scythes, both of them glowing a bright green. Zangoose jumped from far above, its claws smashing against the scythes.

"SCYTHER!" Joey called out, worried - but the worry was all for naught, seeing as how his partner threw Zangoose off of him in a hurry.

"Impressive, really! I won't lie, that had me goin'," Guy said, absolutely astonished at Scyther's durability, "But can it take another?"

Scyther panted at a rapid pace, sweat rolling down its entire body. "That crush claw really took its toll on you, huh?" Joey asked, his pokemon responding with a slight nod, "No need to keep this up, then."

"Wise choice," Guy gave him a nodded, returning his Zangoose to its pokeball, "Now, hurry. I have somewhere to be."

Joey sighed, retreating his Scyther, "Have a good rest." He whispered, making his way out of the pokemon gym.

The sidewalk was filled with businessmen on their cellphones, women pushing their strollers along - combined with just average strangers just trying to get by in this massive city. Cars zoomed by rather frequently, and probably going way past the speed limit.

"Christ."

Joey had heard someone say, feeling as if they were right behind him. He turned, seeing a familiar face, "Oh, it's you, huh?"

Josh had managed to get to a street corner, avoiding the people, "Over here," he motioned for Joey to join he and Danny, "You challenge the Skyheart gym?"

Joey nodded, "I lost. His Zangoose is tough," he said, his words barely piercing throught the thick bustle of city people.

"We should probably head to a restauraunt guys! I don't know about you, but," Danny said, a hand on his desperatley growling stomach, "I'm starving!"

Josh pushed his plate to the center of the table, giving a deep, satisfied sigh. "Ah man, I really needed that!"

Joey tapped his shoulder, trying to draw his attention, "Hey, I need you to listen for a second - you plan on challenging the gym here, right?"

"Of course," Josh nodded, "What, do you plan on helping me?"

Joey rolled his eyes, "In a way. Just listen, okay?"

"Okay."

"Listen up! The gym leader has an insanely powerful Zangoose, and I could barely lay a hand on it. Special attacks do not do a darn thing to it. You absolutely have to hit with a physical attack, as far as I know. Maybe that Pikachu of yours can do something about that."

"Like, electrocute it?" Josh asked, slightly confused.

"No! I know that Pikachu have an ability called static," Joey shot Josh a grin, "But in order for it to work, Zangoose will have to land a hit on him. Do you think he can handle it?"

"I think so," Josh said, plucking his pokeball from his belt and releasing the electric mouse.

"Pika?" Pikachu's ears twitched, looking at Joey, then over at Josh, "Chu?"

"Pikachu, are you fine with being hit on once or twice?" Josh asked Pikachu, who suddenly had a reluctant frown.

"P... Pika?" His head tilted slightly, feeling as if it were in some sort of danger, "Chu?!"

"Wh- no, we're not gonna hit you!" Josh said, rubbing the top of Pikachu's head gently, "It's a strategy. Can you deal with it, man?"

Pikachu nodded loyally, giving his master a quick smile, "Pika!"

"Great!"

The three slid the gym doors open, the lights shut off once again, "What the heck, does this guy live in the dark or something?" Danny cried out.

"I heard that!" The lights were quickly flipped back on, the businessman standing in the middle of the arena, "Did you come for a rematch, kid?"

Joey smirked, "Oh, nah. My friend here is issuing a challenge." He said, patting Josh on the shoulder.

"Friend? Since when were we-"

"Shut up, tell me your name, kid." Guy spat his words out, a rude expression on his face.

"My name is Josh," he bit his lip, clutching onto one of his pokeballs. Admittedly, he was a tad intimidated - but hell, he couldn't let that affect his performance, "From Middleleaf Town. I'm here to challenge you to a battle, Guy!"

"You got guts, kid," Guy said, picking off one of his pokeballs, "I admire that in a trainer. This is a two on two battle, got it?"

"Got it!" Josh nodded.

"Go, Furret!" The pokeball spun onto the floor, the light forming into the creature. Furret had a slender-ish body, its tail being completely connected to its belly. It has several brown stripes leading down its body, which is a lightish brown. It has two brown marks on its cheek, as well as two black eyes. It has two pointy ears, with light brown colors on the tips. Down the back of its neck, it has a dark brown color. It has two tiny paws, as well as two tiny padded feet.

Furret, the Long Body Pokemon. It makes a nest to suit its long and skinny body. The nest is impossible for other Pokémon to enter.

"Froakie, come on out!" Josh tossed out his frog-like starter pokemon, its hand landing on the hardwood floor.

"Kie!" He cried out, its yellow eyes focusing on the opponent ahead, pure determination burning in them.

"Your little friend seems persistent," Guy chuckled, "But he's no match for my Furret! Use fury swipes!"

Furret began to sprint its tiny feet along the floor, its paws reaching for Froakie. "Furrrr!"

"Dodge it!" Josh called out, watching Froakie flip into the air with ease, "Now use water gun from above!"

Froakie's head was taken aback for a second, the pressure seemingly too much. Though, he had been mistaken, and a blast of the pressurized water crashed onto the ferret pokemon.

A high pitched whine escaped its throat. Lucky for it, the water slowly died out, allowing it to roll out onto the floor, completely drenched with water dripping off its fur.

"Furret, quick attack, damn it!" Guy literally screamed at his partner, watching it dash across the floor as Froakie landed.

Its body slammed into Froakie's, causing the frog to skid across the hardwood ground. It flipped right back up, hearing Josh shout a command once more.

The water came spurting from its mouth once more, slamming into the ferret at full force. Furret tried to push its way through, but only to no avail. It cried out as it was flung into the bleachers, near where the other two were sitting.

"Damn," Guy muttered, retreating his first pokemon, "No one's ever taken care of my Furret so easily without a fighting-type. You got some fight in you, kid! But are you ready for what's next?"

Josh gulped, fear rushing into his mind. "I don't know, but, it's not like I have a choice," his voice shook a bit, "Bring it on, Guy!"

"Alright! Go, Zangoose!" Guy shouted out, his monstrous mongoose pokemon once again leaving its place of rest.

"Zan!" Zangoose roared out, its black claws sticking out threateningly.

"Dear god, those things are much more horrifying than I first imagined," Josh sighed, a bit shaken at the sight, "Froakie, return."

The red beam sucked Froakie back into the ball, "Here we go, Pikachu!" He shouted, tossing out his next pokemon.

His electric mouse pokemon rolled out onto the floor, its red cheeks sparking up a bit. It looked at the Zangoose fearlessly, yet so mischeviously at the same time.

"Zangoose, use hone claws!" Guy grinned, watching the bleachers from the corner of his eye. Joey was shaking.

"Oh god, hone claws?! My Scyther could barely take one hit! Pikachu doesn't stand a chance!" Joey clenced his fists, sweat rolling down the side of his head.

"We can't do much now, Joey," Danny said, his chest suddenly becoming heavy, "The attack boost is scary, sure. But maybe a thundershock or something can get the static off... we can only hope."

"Pikachu, use agility while he boosts his attack!" Pikachu nodded, beginning to run all around the arena, desperately avoiding Zangoose around every turn, though.

Zangoose slashed one claw over the other, a loud SHING screeching from each blade with every single scratch. The claws appeared much sharper, a confident grin on its face now.

"Zangoose, crush claw on the rat!" Guy yelled. The Zangoose nodded obediently, sprinting after the electric mouse.

"Keep it up, Pikachu!" Josh encouraged his teammate, eventually outspeeding the mongoose on every single twist and turn, "Stop, use thundershock!"

Pikachu's feet stopped, its tiny paws tightening as it shut its eyes. Pure electricity sparked off its red cheeks, pulsating throughout its being and coming out in a single form - finally making contact with the Zangoose.

"Z-zan!" Zangoose cried out, the sharp pain coursing through its body. No static was left behind though, the plan failing.

Pikachu's ears flattened, looking back at Josh with disappointed eyes, "Don't feel bad, Pikachu! You dealt some damage, and that's damn good!" Josh told him.

"Crush claw!" Zangoose looked at Pikachu, enraged at the fact that he was able to do such a thing. It dashed over to the mouse, slashing its claws across his chest.

"Pikaaaa!" He cried out, slamming against the nearby wall with a loud thud. Struggling to get up, it watched Zangoose walk over, a merciless look on its angry face.

"It was a nice match, kid," Guy said, grinning as he tilted his head back a little, chuckling, "Finish him off, Zangoose."

"Zaaaaaaaaan- g-goose?" Zangoose stopped in its track, stuttering incoherently as its claws hung over Pikachu.

Sparks were flying all over its form, much to Josh's pleasure, "Yes, the static took effect! Aren't you a gym leader, Guy? You should've seen this coming!"

"You're just a beginner! How was I supposed to know?" Guy's chuckling had come to a halt, angered and shaken eyes staring at Josh.

"Okay, Pikachu! Let's finish this, use thundershock at full blast!" Josh yelled, a smile creeping up onto his face.

"Pikachuuuuuuuu!" The electric mouse cried out, the sparks flying off of its bright yellow body. Electricity came in contact wih Zangoose's paralyzed form, turning its white fur into a burnt, black color.

"Z-zaaaan..." the mongoose tipped over, its body falling unconcious. The match had come to a much needed halt.

The pokeball's red light sucked up the mongoose as Pikachu ran up onto Josh's shoulder, nuzzling his cheek.

"I admit defeat," Guy sighed, a warm smile on his face, "A rookie has never won like that, I'm impressed! Good battle man," he took an object out from his pocket, "Here it is, the Gift badge!"

He slipped the badge into Josh's hand, showing a basic design of some kind of ribbon. But only if he had a badge case. Maybe he could just call the professor about it - in the mean time, he slipped the badge into his pocket for now.

"You want to head to Grania city. You'll find the second gym leader, Liman, there. I wish you three the best of luck!"

The three had exited the gym rather quickly, after Josh had sent Pikachu back into his pokeball. "So, Joey, where do you plan on going next?"

"Well," Joey took a deep breath for a second, "I want to come with you guys. You seem worthwhile."

Danny grinned, instantly jumping up in the air with pure joy, "Yay, we got a new member with us! Welcome aboard, Joey!"

Joey was taken aback, slightly flustered at his behavior, "Geez, calm down, man... anywhere, off to Grania city, right?"

"Right."


	5. Eevee Shenanigans

Danny frowned, his eyes looking up into the sky as clouds hid the sun away from the group of three, "Aw man, I hope it isn't gonna rain..."

Josh shrugged, "Probably just a cloudy day," he stretched his arms out, yawning briefly, "Can we go sit somewhere? My feet are worn out."

"Oh, get over it," Joey rolled his eyes, getting a good look of their surrounding area. There was no direct trail to the next city, just a few trees scattered around, surrounded by a grassland.

"Why are you suddenly being an asshat towards us, now, Joey?" Josh asked, confused as to why Joey would suddenly act up once more.

"I'm not," he turned to Josh, "I'm telling you to stop acting like a baby. Besides, I'm still mad that you captured Pikachu and I didn't..."

Josh chuckled, "Ha! Well, too bad. Maybe you're the one who needs to stop acting like such a baby."

The boy shot a threatening glare at Josh, "Whatever. I only helped you so I could learn if something like that would work in the first place. You got lucky. I don't need Pikachu in the first place."

"What else could you possibly need? Pikachu's are great electric type pokemon," Josh argued.

"Pfft," Joey rolled his eyes, strolling further along, "Like you would know. I've been learning about Pokemon since I was a child. I'll go catch something right now!"

He picked up his pace, dashing off into the grasslands as Josh and Danny slowly followed, a sigh leaving the former's mouth, "What a prick."

"I wonder what's on his mind." Danny spoke, walking along into the grasslands, watching Joey stop in his tracks.

Joey smiled, bending down to the small creature below him, its bright, borwneyes staring up into his. "... V-vee?"

Eevee is a relatively small mammal pokemon, most of its fur being a bright brown color, with a lighter tip on its tail. It has two large tails, four small legs, and a white, furry collar around its neck.

"Hey there, little buddy..." Joey whispered, placing his hand upon the creature's head, allowing it to nuzzle up to him.

"V-vee!" It cried out, a small smile on its tiny face.

"Oh my god, is that an Eevee?!" Danny shouted from afar, running up to it. Panic set in, its eyes widening as it turned to run.

"WAIT!" Joey called out, clenching his teeth, "Look what you did! I was gonna catch it!" He grabbed Danny by his shoulders.

"S-sorry," Danny stuttered, "I just.. I've always wanted a Sylveon. Have you seen what they look like? They're so magnificent!"

"Ha!" Josh audibly shot a laugh at Danny's statement, "Please. If anything, Umbreon is the best evolution. It's a tank."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Both of you are idiots. Flareon is the way to go, and you should know so. It's fire-typing, those black eyes..."

"And the moves it doesn't have!" Josh interjected, receiving a menacing glare from Joey, "Oh, sorry. It has Flare Blitz."

"Hmph," Joey said, picking a pokeball off from his belt, "Let's have a contest and see who can catch the Eevee first, then."

"Hell no! You should just leave it to me!" Josh argued.

"Um, guys," Danny mumbled, slightly afraid of the on-going argument. "I think it's a good idea. Besides, it's fair.."

Joey gave Danny a pleasant smile, "I'm glad someone agrees with me. It doesn't matter now, Josh. One of us is going to catch it."

"Whatever," Josh blew him off right then and there, running to the west in search of the tiny pokemon.

"I'm heading this way, then," Joey said, heading to the east, leaving Danny there, alone.

"... What do I do now?" Danny wondered.

Joey ran into a wooded area, the trees shielding him from the sun as he searched. Luckily, the forest wasn't too deep. He could see the light from the other side in no time, after all.

Leaves crunched under his shoe, or so he thought. His eyes quickly took a look to the left and then the right, "Who's there?"

A hand forced itself over the young boy's lips, the fingers clenching together. An elbow crossed over Joey's neck.

"Mmmf!" Muffled screams fell from Joey's throat. Quickly, he pulled his leg around and slammed his foot into the man's leg.

"Oof!" The masked man plummeted to the ground, watching the short-haired boy run off into the distance.

"I can't believe you failed," another said, his mask clearly more defined than the fallen grunt, "We'll never hear the end of it... why couldn't you just give me time to bring out Hypno?"

"S-sorry, sir." The grunt kneeled.

"Get on your feet." The man said demandingly, the grunt getting a better look of his mask. Red frills brushed against the man's neck, surrounding the entirety of the mask. His eyes could be seen through the slits, and golden whisker-like threads on the front, "I'll do it. I'm more than capable..."

"Eevee! Eeveeeee!"

The calling rung in the man's ears, a smile curving up on his face, "There we go."  
-

Danny's feet quietly tiptoed across the lightly wooded forest, each step being taken with more and more caution.

The bushes ruffled from behind him, yellow ears poking out of the grass, "What kind of Pokemon is that?" He wondered.

Pushing the leaves apart, his eyes met two black dots centering two, large, white eyes. "Hypno!"

Its yellow fingers clutched onto the string, which was connected to a gray pendulum. A noticable hole swung in front of Danny's eyes, a swirl slowly arising in his iris, "Wh.. wha.."

Danny's head hung low, his eyes slowly closing.

Bingo.

Hypno threw the boy over his shoulder, the masked man jumping from the tree above, "Good work, Hypno. Let's head back to HQ... Meredith will be happy. No one defies Team Masquerade."

Hypno nodded, Danny's head slung onto its back as they walked deeper into the woods.

The grunt, however, picked himself off from the ground, dusting himself of the dirt, "S-sir-!" A hand squeezed his shoulder.

"What're you doing on the ground, asshole? Where's Danny?"

He looked up. It was the kid from earlier, "Get your hand off of me!" The mask-wearer yelled in disgust, rolling away from Joey.

"You won't be getting away this time," he said, Josh stepping out from behind him, arms crossed.

"Where'd our friend go?" Josh asked sternly , stepping toward the man with clenched fists, his feet calmly moving.

"You can't get anything from m-" He would say, if Josh hadn't kicked him in the shin, "You don't have any pokemon with you. What makes you think you're getting away?"

"F-fine! I'll tell you where they went! Just don't hurt me!"

Joey frowned, his eyes staring into the man's with pure anger, "You're a coward. Actually, know what? You're coming with us. Let's go."

Forcing the grunt up, Josh held his arm tightly as if his hand was chained around it.

Though, the enemy couldn't help but think one thing.

They had no idea what was in store for them.


	6. Nauseating Evil

"Ughhh..." the young boy groaned, his eyes slowly peeling open, only beginning to survey the surrounding area.

It was difficult to get a good look at anything, especially since most of his surroundings had been covered in a blanket of darkness.

Voices crowded the outside, as far as he could tell. "What mess did you get yourself into, Danny?" he wondered.

His hands rummaged over his waist - his pokeballs had been taken from him, as well as his bag.

"This is bad, this is bad..." Danny stood up, the dark keeping him from being able to see his hand in front of his face, "I can't be too far away from people... I can hear voices."

All of a sudden, the door opened, "So, you're awake, huh? About time."

Danny's eyes rose up as the light poured in from the entrance, studying this man's figure. His body was quite slim, his hands covered with red gloves. He wore a blazer over a black dress shirt, which seemed to connect to the same colored trousers.

Last, but not least, he wore some kind of mask. Red frills brushed the back of his neck, and four slits had been cut into it. Two for breathing, and two for his eyes, "Who... who are you?"

"That's not the matter at hand."

His chance to obtain some answers dashed right away from him, his heart slowly sinking into his chest.

"You're coming with me," the masked man stated bluntly, "Get up."

Calm yourself, Danny... it's best to comply so you don't get hurt.. Danny thought, sweat rolling down the side of his head.

Danny got on his two feet, and admittedly, his knees had become weak. If only he had his pokemon... then again, if there are more like him, he would not stand a ghost of a chance.

The man smirked. He could tell that Danny was scared out of his mind, but he couldn't care less - it really just showed him how intimidating he was.

"Commander Rey, you are needed in the conference room." The voice-over spoke bluntly as Rey took a step out from the closet.

Really? A closet...? That's the best they could do? Danny thought to himself, confused as to why they wouldn't keep him in a more confined room.

"Come along," Rey stated, almost void of emotion as he walked further down the hall. Danny looked down at his feet as he walked along, sweat still rolling down his face.

His legs trembled as he followed close behind the commander, his breathing picking up a bit. He was far from calm.

Rey extended his hand to the door-handle, taking a peek inside the room. He fully opened the door, allowing Danny to get a good look at the room.

Most of the space in the room had been taken up by a rectangular, white table that extended from wall to wall.

At each seat sat a man or a woman, each dressed in the same attire. It was as if they were clones, but he knew that had to be impossible. Each of them wore the same masks, only having the colors of white and black, golden curves lined from under the eye slits, and up to each top corner. The men wore black masks, accompanied by a black suit with white ruffles sticking out. They also had been wearing fancy black dress pants, as well as black shoes.

The women wore white masks, as well as a white dress that extended to just a little below their knees. They wore white high heels.

Each of them simultaneously took a step onto the floor, scooting their chairs in as if they were programmed, "Commander Rey."

Every single one of them bowed, hands on their hearts as they remained their, bowing, emotionless.

"You may rise."

All at the same time, every single man and woman in the room stood in front of the backs of the chairs, all of their eyes focusing on Rey.

It was then that the cold atmosphere became to known to Danny. It was almost unbearable, but losing it here would prove to be nothing useful.

"My fellow subjects, I come with one of the nuisances," reaching from behind him, his hand clutched onto Danny's shirt, "Here he is!"

Throwing him forward, every man and woman gave him a look of disgust. One of the women began to speak, "So is this the one who opposed Meredith directly?"

"I am inclined to believe so," Rey spoke formally, "We have confiscated his Pokemon, as well as the one he searched for... and we are here to ridicule him... or hear him plead. It's his choice. Speak."

Danny gulped, his heart feeling as if it were going to jump out of his chest - how was he even supposed to speak?

"... W-what do you want with m-me?" His nervousness could be heard just from his voice, sweat continuing to soak his face.

"Ha! This is the one who defeated him?" One of the men shouted with glee, a grin unlike any other plastered onto his face.

"It would make sense," Rey's lips curved into a smile, "That grunt was the lowest of the low. He does not stand a chance against me, is that not right?"

Before the trainer knew it, everyone in the room began to crack up at the mere thought of the two battling it out.

_Okay, Danny... calm down... breathe in, breathe out. Maybe if I challenge his pride, I could trick him..._

"C-can you back up that claim?" Danny asked, his stuttering as clear as the light of the day as he attempted to smirk.

"Oh? What's that?" Rey soon turned to take a look at Danny, being able to see through his facade, "Are you sure about that, child? Would you dare challenge one of her most loyal commanders? One of her most powerful subjects?"

"It's a worth a shot, i-isn't it?" Danny's fists clenched, his shaky voice beginning to settle as he willed himself to calm down.

Rey placed a finger on his lips, his hand on his chin as he tapped at his lower lip, "Very well, please retrieve his pokeballs."

The woman nodded, stepping out of the room.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

Rain poured on the three as they began to drag their feet on the dirt road, lazily making their way further up.

"Damn it... are you sure you're not lying to us?" Josh bit his lip, his voice seemingly irritated as the rain drenched his clothes.

"I'm not lying, I swear!" The man shouted aloud to the two, his hands clasped together in desperation.

"Calm down," Joey said in a sigh, "We're not antagonizing you, we're just... having our doubts, y'know?"

Silence once again reigned upon the three as the rain made it all the more deafening, the situation soon becoming awkward.

"What's your name?" Josh asked curiously, one of his eyes narrowing to the man, his eyes giving him a surprised look.

"My name is Richard," he said, pressing his fingers to his mask, whispering, "This thing is suffocating me..."

"Then take it off," Joey spoke, crossing his arms as his eyes studied the mask. It would have to get hot under that thing eventually, "Aren't you burning up?"

"Yeah, but," his hand lowered onto his chest, his voice hesitant, "I wear this for my lady..."

"Your lady?" Josh questioned him, "What, like your wife or something? You seem pretty devoted."

"Oh, heavens no!" He called out to him, surprisingly acting more distinguished than before, "She is the light that shines on us... but.. I am having my doubts. I am the lowest of the low, you see..."

"So, I'm guessing she's your leader?" Joey asked, obviously puzzled by this predicament, "What, do you think she's a god or something?"

"We know." Richard spoke almost as if he had been programmed to do so, like he had been told this his entire life, "One day she will bring the stars down to this heathen planet."

"... How do you know this?" Joey once again questioned him, stopping in his tracks as the downpour began to lighten up just a tad bit.

"Because she told us so-"

"Snap the hell out of it!" Josh interjected, grabbing the man by his shoulders and shaking him, "Dude, what the hell?"

"What? Oh, sorry... I guess I kind of went off into my mind, huh...?"

"No shit!" Josh cried out, biting his lip in frustration as he let go of him, "You sound like a damned robot..."

"Tell us, how old are you?" Joey wondered aloud, beginning to pick up his pace once more, shivering as it continued to drizzle.

"Nineteen. I was forced- I mean, joined Team Masquerade when I was just seventeen. Why is it of any importance?" Richard questioned, raising a brow.

"Did you actually make that choice?" Josh blurted out, finding a look of confusion on Richard's face.

"Hey, Josh," Joey put a hand on the man's shoulder, giving Josh a frown, "Stop pressuring him, dammit. Let's leave him be."

Danny visibly shook as his two pokeballs were returned to his hands, the commander looking down at him, "Let us head to a more suitable area. Come."

Without so much as wasting a fraction of a second, Rey had left the room. Quickly, Danny had followed as well as the other members of Team Masquerade.

Not too long after that, they came to a set of sliding doors, white and black in color. As the doors slid open, Rey stepped forward.

It was just as bland as the rest of the building. White walls surrounded the two, though the floor was a black color, as well as the ceiling.

Rey began to speak, "I'll make a proposition for you. I will only use one Pokemon against you, and you can use the two of yours. If you win, you'll be set free... If I win, you're going to be our hostage. Understood?"

It's not like I have a choice. Danny gulped, nodding in approval as Rey slid a pokeball out from his shirt.

"Very well," he smirked, "Go, Houndoom!"

As the light emerged, Danny tried to get a good look at the hound Pokemon.

_Houndoom, the dark Pokemon. The flames it breathes when angry contains toxins. If they cause a burn, it will hurt forever._

Houndoom is much taller than its predecessor, being at least twice its height in comparison. It has two curved horns, and a pointed black tail. It has three ridges on its back, and a white band on its neck. It has a skull shaped pendant around its neck, and two white bands on each of its ankles. It also has three clawed toes on each of its paws, as well as small red eyes and a black nose.

"Go, Patience!" Danny called out nervously, his tiny bird Pokemon flapping its wings as soon as it was released.

"You plan to fight me with that puny thing? You're going to make it suffer immeasurably, boy." Rey's grin grew larger and larger as he stared at the tiny bird pokemon.

He was right. There was no way Pidgey could make it out of this, but Danny wouldn't back down now, "We'll see!"

"I admire your so-called courage!" Rey shouted at him, pointing a finger, "Houndoom, use thunder fang!"

Sparks of electricity became visible in Houndoom's maw, his teeth glowing a bright gold as it dashed at the pigeon.

"Hurry, use sand-attack, and then whirlwind!" Patience only did as his trainer commanded, flying towards the ground and flapping its wings furiously.

The dust and other remains that had been left on the floor acted as sand, being thrown into the hound's eyes.

Next, Patience began to circle around the Houndoom and flapped its wings even harder, a visible twister surrounding it as the dust increased in its amount.

"You use strategy to make up for strength... not bad, not bad," Rey complimented, still confidently smiling, "You doubt Houndoom's senses though. Use odor sleuth!"

Houndoom began sniffing out the poor bird pokemon, its eyes instantly locking onto it as sparks once again erupted in its maw.

Its mouth instantly connected with Pidgey's left wing, electricity shooting up into its tiny body, causing it to fall to the ground - not yet knocked out. "PATIENCE!"

"How pathetic. One hit and it's down? That tactic was all you had going for yourself..." Rey said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

As he turned to walk away, a bright light began to shine from Patience, much to Rey's surprise. Turning, his eyes widenned, as well as Danny's.

"Patience? Are you evolving already?!" Danny's smile returned to his face, his Pidgey slowly rising off from the ground as its body began to grow.

_Pidgeotto, the bird Pokemon. Very protective of its sprawling territorial area, this Pokemon will fiercely peck at any intruder._

Pidgeotto is an avian-like Pokemon. The back of it is mainly covered in brown feathers, and its underside and face are cream-colored, and has pink colored feathers on its head, and black streaks behind its eyes. Its tail alternates between red and yellow, and has pinkish/gray-ish talons.

"Great job, Patience! You should be even faster now, so use quick attack!" Danny practically pleaded his partner, who did so under his orders.

Beak first, Pidgeotto dove closer to the ground as it slammed into Houndoom's black throat, a cry arising from its lungs.

"You actually have the firepower to do damage upon Houndoom, hm? I can't say I'm not surprised, this is far from over!" Rey snapped his fingers, watching as Houndoom began to spit out embers at the larger bird pokemon.

One or two of the fire pieces crashed against Patience's feathers, only to be cooled off whenever he began to flap them.

Fire attacks have no meaning here... thunder fang is the only threat. We may just get out of this yet... Danny thought, focusing on Rey and his Houndoom.

Patience drew back from its enemy, watching it open up its eyes and trying to focus on the situation.

"Houndoom, use feint attack." Rey calmly said, watching as Houndoom seemingly disappeared into thin air.

"Where did it go?!" Danny cried out, watching as Pidgeotto suddenly shrieked, being knocked onto the ground.

Houndoom stood over the bird Pokemon, sparks flying out of its mouth as it bit into its body once again, its teeth sinking deep into its flesh.

"Patience, return..." Danny said, slowly drawing out his pokeball and retreating his teammate back to its shelter. "I give up. No need to let Pokey get hurt..."

With the same grin plastered onto Rey's face, he brought his Houndoom back to its shelter as well, "Well, shall we get on with it?"

The rest of the trip had been silent, but the three had finally made their way into the Starburg City Pokemon Center.

Even from the inside of the hospital, they could see the pollution from the windows that had been mixing with the rain.

"This place is filthy," Josh said, disgusted as he turned to Nurse Joy, "Has it always been like this?

Nure Joy shook her head, a bit saddened at the situation herself, rather than disgusted. "Not at all. It used to be just like Skyheart, but... all I know is that an odd group of people had made their home here. They took control of most of the city - which is why the police haven't been involved or an enviornmental protection agency. They've blocked off everything..."

"Strange group of people? Like who?" Joey pondered, his eyes slowly shifting over to Richard who had been sitting near the two.

"Like your friend," Nurse Joy said, a bit of anger in her tone now, "... But I'm not one to judge, I guess."

Richard's hand slowly rose up to his black mask, sliding it off into his gloved fingers. His face had been drenched with sweat and rain, a sweet breath of fresh air entering his lungs, "I refuse to be like them..."

"That's a big turn-around in such a small amount of time." Josh stated, a part of him had been unable to believe him at the moment.

"People do things when they're under pressure..." Richard had mumbled, standing up as he tossed the mask onto the floor, "We're going now."

"Now that's what I like to see," Josh smirked, jumping up from his seat and approaching the doors, "Thanks a hell of a lot, Nurse Joy!"

"I-It was no trouble..." She fiddled with her thumbs as the three made their way out from the Pokemon hospital.

The three approached the entrance of the building, studying the outside of it, footsteps being heard from the inside.

"This place is packed," Joey said worriedly, "We gotta find another way in.."

Josh nodded, walking around the building and nearly falling over as his foot came to a stop, on the edge of a staircase leading down, "Wh-whoa shit! I think I found what we're looking for..."

"Great," Richard said, making his way down the flight of stairs, a small roof shielding them from the rain, "We might find your friend in here..."

The door creaked open into the black abyss, light shining into the darkness as they looked around, keeping the door open.

"Fennekin, come on out and shed some light!" Joey called out on his fox Pokemon, releasing it from its safe haven.

A small ember hung onto the end of Fennekin's mouth, brightening up the place just a tad bit.

"Guys?" A voice called out from the darkness, a face soon becoming visible - it had been clear that it was Danny.

"Danny? What are you doing all the way down here?" Joey had asked, stepping forward to help his friend up off the ground.

"I lost in a battle with Rey, the commander here... his Houndoom destroyed Patience. He's keeping me hostage." Danny said in a sigh, sounding as if he had been ashamed of himself, "I was no match..."

"Now's not the time to feel sorry for yourself," Richard said, turning to look at Danny, "I'm sorry that my boss did this to you. He won't get away with this-"

"Slow down there," Josh said, putting a hand on Richard's shoulder, "I think this is my problem to deal with. Anything we should know, Danny?"

"Well, they're keeping the Eevee we were looking for somewhere in the building, and this place is literally infested with those guys," Danny said, scratching the back of his head, "The situation looks bleak."

"We should split up into groups," Joey said, trying to take on the best course of action, "Josh, you go find the commander. I'll go search for the Eevee alone, and you two can go find it elsewhere."

"Sounds fine to me," Josh grinned, sounding a little excited, "Well, let's get going!"

Danny and Richard walked throughout the hallways, the two of them being awkwardly quiet with one another, "So you're a former member?"

"Yeah," Richard said, looking through the nearby corridor, "I'm not exactly proud of it, and I don't have any Pokemon with me. I know this place inside out, so that's what I'm here for."

"Well, I don't hold a grudge against you," Danny whispered, giving the ex-Team Masquerade member a smile, "The past is in the past."

"Heh..." Richard gave himself a smirk, "Thanks."

Joey slipped through one of the doors, the next room surprisingly void of any enemies he may have had to face.

Cages were lined up across the wall, most of them empty. They must have been used for containing Pokemon to be used later on.

"V... vee..." A small cry left one of the cages near Joey, leading him to slowly scan the encasements.

"There you are..." Joey whispered, unlocking the cage with ease. All he had to do was flip a switch, luckily.

The Eevee immediately hopped into his arms, rubbing up against his chin as it cried with joy, "Vee!"

"You're coming with me, little guy.." Joey mumbled to himself, pulling a pokeball off his belt and tapping it on the Eevee's head.

Ping.

Josh peeked into the arena that Danny and the commander had used previously, only to find it still had many grunts inside.

"Come on in! I know you're there, the security cameras don't lie." It was Rey, and his voice made Josh freeze, stone cold.

_Damn. I should've known that. I guess we underestimated them - they didn't seem smart enough to actually have surveillance._ Josh thought as he slowly slipped into the room, his hand holding onto one of his pokeballs tightly.

"And here he is! The one who started this feud!" Rey began to clap his hands mockingly, giving him a smug smile.

"You're overreacting you damned idiot," Josh growled lowly, "We didn't do a damn thing to you, so why take our friend?"

"You didn't do a thing to us, you say? I beg to differ," Rey's smirk disappeared, a more sinister look taking its place, "You fought one of her subjects. You defiled them, and you have disgraced her."

"Whoever she is," Josh plucked Froakie's pokeball from his belt, "I couldn't give less of a shit. You're going down."

"You're going to regret this, boy..." Rey's fingers pressed onto the pokeball, "You won't leave this place alive. Houndoom, go!"

He flung his pokeball out onto the field, the hound pokemon once again taking the stage, "Houndoom!" It cried out, clenching its fangs.

"Go, Froakie!" Josh tossed his pokeball out into the arena, his tiny frog pokemon back flipping as it left its haven.

"Thunder fang!"

"What?!" Josh's eyes widened in surprise, sparks flying into its mouth as it charged at Froakie, ready to take a chunk out of its tiny body.

Froakie managed to take a dive under Houndoom's belly, picking himself up on the other side, "Use water gun!"

The frog nodded, pressure building up in its mouth as it dashed towards the hound. Water sprayed out from its maw as Houndoom prepared to use thunderfang.

"You forget something, boy! Water conducts electricity!" Rey smirked with confidence as the sparks danced across the water gun.

With eyes wide open, the sparks connected to Froakie's body. The sheer force knocked the poor frog back into the wall, landing on its hands and feet as sweat dripped down its body.

"One hit, and it did that? Oh god..." Josh bit his lip in desperation, rushing towards his pokemon - only for the Houndoom to tackle him from behind, "What the hell-?!"

Rey smirked, walking over to Josh and planting his foot on his chest, "You're not going anywhere."

"F-Froakie!" Josh cried out as the pain grew to excruciating lengths, unable to endure it for much longer.

A light could be seen from the corner of his eyes, the beaten Froakie began to stand as it began to glow white.

"Oh, not again..." Rey growled.

_Frogadier, the bubble frog Pokemon. Its swiftness is unparalled. It can scale a tower of more than 2,000 in a minute's time._

Frogadier has primarily light blue skin, though its hands have a dark blue color, with three white pads for fingers. It has two flat dark blue toes. Arounds its neck is a white scarf made of bubbles, and the top side of its head is dark blue. It has bright yellow eyes with light blue eyelids.

"FROGADIER!" It shouted, quickly leaping from the ground and shoving itself against the Hound pokemon, sending it into the wall.

While Rey had been distracted, Josh managed to grab his foot and throw him off. Quickly picking himself up, he planted a swift punch upon Rey's cheek.

"You're the one who's not going anywhere," Josh's eyes lowered as Rey began to crawl the other direction.

"Houndoom, th-thunder fang, now!" Rey literally screamed out the order, sparks once again filling Houndoom's maw.

"Quick attack, then follow up with water pulse!" Josh cried out to his partner as it gave him a nod.

Frogadier slammed into Houndoom once again, bringing it out of its focus. One of its hands were risen up into the air as a ball of water formed, flinging it at the hellhound, three rings of water pulsating off of it as it connected.

Houndoom couldn't make a sound as the sting of water flowed throughout its skin, causing it to whine with seemingly no end in sight.

The red beam of a pokeball connected to it, retreating it back as Rey began to back up against the wall, "RETREAT!"

Before Josh had known it, the room had been completely empty as the doors slid back to being closed. He scared them all away, simply by defeating the commander?

"Too easy... good boy, Frogadier." He said, pride in his voice as he looked down at his newly evolved partner, smiling.

"Froga~"

-

In seemingly no time at all, Danny and Josh found their way into the arena, seeing Josh standing in the middle, alone.

"Did.. did you do this?" Danny asked, surprised, "You beat him? You really did?" A smile grew upon his innocent face.

"Yeah... most intense battle I've ever been in.. " Josh took a deep breath, putting his hands on his hips, "What happened to Richard, guys?"

"Oh," Joey began to speak, "He must've left in the middle of what we were doing. Probably had his own reasons."

"Yeah, I bet." Josh rolled his eyes, "So, where to next?"

Danny frowned, crossing his arms, "We might want to go to the Pokemon Center to stay the night there... I can't keep moving, guys."

"I agree," Joey smiled, "Come on, losers. Glad you fought him Josh, so I didn't have to. You sure have good luck."

"Yeah," Josh shot a smile back at him, "Good luck."


End file.
